Four paths to spirit at work: jurneys of personal meaning, fulfillment, well-being, and transcendence through work.(Report)

Spirit at work involves profound feelings of well-being, a belief that one's work makes a contribution, a sense of connection to others and common purpose, an awareness of a connection to something larger than self, and a sense of perfection and. transcendence. This exploratory qualitative study revealed 4 paths leading to spirit at work; the always there path, which had a continuous nature; the coming together path, which resembled a growing and integrative journey; the transformative events path, which was in response to an awakening or crisis; and the contextually sensitive path, which was dependent on the work environment. Implications for career counseling are discussed.

Career counseling is at a critical crossroads (Niles, 2003). Although the empirical tradition of rational career counseling has not focused on developing the more complex human qualities such as spirit, consciousness, and purpose (Savickas, 1997), Savickas (1993,1997) posited that career counseling in the 21st century must move toward fostering self-affirmation in clients. Increasingly, employees are seeking meaning, beyond economic reward, in their work (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Bloch, 2005; Mitroff & Denton, 1999). With work envisioned as a quest for self (Savickas, 1997), the key to career counseling is to assist clients in finding fuller meaning in life; thus, career counseling becomes a methodology for life planning (Guindon & Hanna, 2002).

A new approach to increase workers' meaningful experience of work and to foster more fulfilling lives for employees is the promotion of spirit at work (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2006c; Mitroff & Denton, 1999). Spirit at work reflects a distinct state that involves profound feelings of well-being, a belief that one's work makes a contribution, a sense of connection to others and common purpose, an awareness of a connection to something larger than self, and a sense of perfection and transcendence (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Although spirit at work is being promoted by academics, career counselors, and organizational consultants as a source of wellness and deeper meaning for employees, little is known about how spirit at work develops. Thus, the key objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to reveal the process of how an individual comes to experience spirit at work. Understanding how spirit at work develops should lead to insights into how spirit at work can be nurtured in career counseling.

Conceptualizing Spirit at Work

Although academic, practice, and popular literature have given much attention to this new field of spirit at work, relatively little empirical research has been devoted to the topic. Research in the field has been hampered by the lack of a clear, widely accepted definition (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004) and by a lack of theory about antecedent conditions for, processes related to experiencing, and outcomes of achieving spirit at work (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2006a).

The terms spirit at work, spirituality at work, workplace spirituality, and spirituality in the workplace seem to be used interchangeably to capture similar notions. Several scholars have provided definitions for or identified components of workplace spirituality. It has been conceptualized as being passive and static; having trait-like qualities; or as dynamic, that is, having capacities and abilities that are evolving and interactive (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003). It has been conceptualized as a characteristic of the organization, the individual, or both. At the organizational level, spirituality in the workplace refers to an organizational culture that is guided by mission statements, leadership, and business practices that are socially responsible and value-driven; that recognizes the contributions that employees make to the organization; and that promotes personal spiritual development and well-being (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Mitroff & Denton, 1999). As an individual construct, spirituality at work refers to the inner life of employees finding meaning and making a contribution through work, serving others, connectedness at work, and authenticity at work (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004).

Although there are differences in emphasis in the various conceptualizations of spirit at work, there is also considerable overlap. Sheep (2004) argued that a conceptual convergence has emerged in the literature and occurs in four recurring themes: a self-workplace integration, meaning in work, transcendence of self, and personal growth and development of one's inner self at work. Ashforth and Pratt's (2003) critical review of the literature revealed three dimensions (transcendence of self, holism and harmony, and growth). In our work (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2006b), we found four dimensions of spirit at work (engaging work, spiritual connection, sense of community, and mystical experience).